Avalanche: Coalpit

I made a bad choice.

Skier 1 (myself) dropped into the coalpit headwall performing a ski cut to a safe sub-ridge with manageable stuffing that proceeded down the ski line. I then skied the headwall about 1/3 down and stopped skiers right on a sub-ridge dividing two of the lines. Skiers 2 and 3 skied from the top to me then proceeded to continue down to safety towards the bottom. Prior to skier 3 leaving me we talked that I would go right into the next line. This is my bad choice letting skier 3 leave before I headed into the other line because I became a solo skier at this point not visible to my party. I did a ski cut at the top without any release. 3 turns in I was part of nature and sliding on my side head uphill with snow rushing around me and behind me. I hit rocks with my skies then bounced off one with my hip. I did yell hoping my party could here me but to no avail. I came to a stop about 150 ft down from the initiation point on the bed surface, and watched the toe of the slide proceed another 460 feet below. I was able to stand right up, didn't lose anything, and ski down the soft avalanche debris to my group, on my one good ski, around the cliffs and regroup. Broke a ski, bruised a hip, and am lucky.

Soft slab that broke at my feet but knocked me down in the process. Couldn't tell you how deep. About 35 feet wide and ran about 600 total feet.

I wasn't going to post anything but here it is. I don't regret where I skied or the slide but I do regret skiing where my partners couldn't watch out for me. If I had been buried they would have had no idea an buy the time they figured it out it likely would have been to late.

Please make better choices than I did.